It is the integrated person who recognizes that meeting with true success requires that one's life be balanced, holistic, meaningful, and guided by the "spirit as the inner source of energy and spirituality as the outward expression of that force" (Dehler and Welsh, 2003, p.115) or "lived religion" (Gould 2005).

About Me

"Spirituality may ... be defined as the dimension of human experience that enables an individual to create, encounter or discover meaning, purpose, and value in life." - Louis F. Kavar, Ph. D. and Author of The Integrated Self: A Holistic Approach to Spirituality and Mental Health Practice

I am a graduate of College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in Sociology and an urban planning concentration. During my time at College of the Holy Cross I learned how to effectively express my ideas through writing. It is also where I began to ask a number of really important questions: Who am I? What are my most deeply felt values? How am I willing to be? Do I have a mission or purpose in my life? Why am I in college? and What sort of world do I want to help create? Over the duration of my time spent in college, I learned how to develop personal goals, educational aspirations, and think intently about my religious and spiritual development and formulating a "spiritual quest". Steadily, I gained the confidence, experience, and personal satisfaction that comes through the practice of doing the hard work that is necessary to complete assignments on time and at a high standard in order to step closer to fulfilling my dreams even in those instances wherein the difficulties at times seemed nearly insurmountable. Yes, I learned right there alongside other students how best to persist and prevail.

Today, I see myself more as a "project pursuer", a transformational advocate, a wanderer around invisible peripheries, a witness and facilitator of emergent states (Guldi, 2010), and someone who is eager to work in collaborative relationships with social service organizations, nonprofit entities, and faith-based committees and others who are actively on their way to "framing deep change" and establishing "a new ethic of sustainability, spirituality, and a broader understanding of freedom (Horawitz et al, 2010)". The kind of change that will make the fullest possible use of collective energy or Spirit to drive us all toward a more 'empathic' humanity and by addressing the very important needs of today's urban youth at the local level by; 1.) enabling them to successfully make their transition to adulthood, 2.) facilitating their becoming productively engaged adult citizens, connecting themselves to meaningful work, in positive relationships, and creating a thriving and flourishing place for all, 3.) contributing to their social-emotional-spiritual development, 4.) encouraging the development of their inner knowing and intuition, 5.) cultivating connection with the divine and the sacred through music, visual, and performing arts, and 6.) promoting personal and cultural identity formation and inclusiveness through ongoing exposure to both familiar and universal values and constructive community building practices.

Thank you very much for taking the time to visit my blog. I welcome every possible opportunity to either speak with you by phone or email about the many ways of finding agency, hope, and purpose through face-to-face and heart-to-heart connections with the clear understanding that together we can make a bold impact and be the rising change that is greatly needed in the world today, a "deep change" that completely reflects care, compassion, respect, and universal spirituality or relationship with the "Divine Other (James H. Cone)".

Sincerely,

Jonathan Dunnemann (nickname "JD")

Let's not merely trust our instincts but counterbalance them with the careful consideration of our most important values.